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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bass — the fish
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. board — to get on
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. last — final
  12. board — a committee
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bass — low music
  16. track — a path
  17. cold — not warm
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stock — goods
  23. track — a song
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com